18th-Century Paintings

Society portraits, city views and conversation pieces from the age of the Grand Tour.

1700s. 159 paintings here, dated 1705 to 1798, with works by Francesco Guardi, Thomas Gainsborough, John Singleton Copley and Gilbert Stuart. They suit the staircase, living room and hallway or entryway most often.

Showing 1 to 48 of 159 paintings

Piazza San Marco, Canaletto, late 1720s, oil on canvas

Canaletto Piazza San Marco, late 1720s The Met

Cottage Children (The Wood Gatherers), Thomas Gainsborough, 1787, oil on canvas

Thomas Gainsborough Cottage Children (The Wood Gatherers), 1787 The Met

The Garden of Palazzo Contarini dal Zaffo, Francesco Guardi, Late 1770s, oil on canvas

Francesco Guardi The Garden of Palazzo Contarini dal Zaffo, Late 1770s Art Institute of Chicago

George Washington, Gilbert Stuart, begun 1795, oil on canvas

Gilbert Stuart George Washington, begun 1795 The Met

Painted portrait of woman in green dress and cloud backdrop.

John Singleton Copley Mrs. Daniel Hubbard (Mary Greene), c. 1764 Art Institute of Chicago

Daniel Crommelin Verplanck, John Singleton Copley, 1771, oil on canvas

John Singleton Copley Daniel Crommelin Verplanck, 1771 The Met

Large painting, woman in pink dress in front of classical sculpture, shrine.

Joshua Reynolds Lady Sarah Bunbury Sacrificing to the Graces, 1763–65 Art Institute of Chicago

Portrait of Catherine Grey, Lady Manners, Thomas Lawrence, 1794, oil on canvas

Thomas Lawrence Portrait of Catherine Grey, Lady Manners, 1794 Cleveland Museum of Art

Elizabeth Farren (born about 1759, died 1829), Later Countess of Derby, Thomas Lawrence, 1790, oil on canvas

Thomas Lawrence Elizabeth Farren (born about 1759, died 1829), Later Countess of Derby, 1790 The Met

Captain George K. H. Coussmaker (1759–1801), Joshua Reynolds, 1782, oil on canvas

Joshua Reynolds Captain George K. H. Coussmaker (1759–1801), 1782 The Met

A Monumental Portrait of a Monkey, India, c. 1705–1710, opaque watercolor and gold on paper

India A Monumental Portrait of a Monkey, c. 1705–1710 Art Institute of Chicago

The Dutton Family in the Drawing Room of Sherborne Park, Gloucestershire, Johann Zoffany, c. 1772, oil on canvas

Johann Zoffany The Dutton Family in the Drawing Room of Sherborne Park, Gloucestershire, c. 1772 Cleveland Museum of Art

The Afternoon Meal (La Merienda), Luis Meléndez, ca. 1772, oil on canvas

Luis Meléndez The Afternoon Meal (La Merienda), ca. 1772 The Met

Portrait of a light-skinned man in a long white wig and red-orange coat, holding a folded piece of paper and standing next to a desk, a large sailing ship off his left shoulder.

John Smibert Richard Bill, 1733 Art Institute of Chicago

Portrait of Sor Juana de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, Domingo Ortiz, 1797, oil on canvas

Domingo Ortiz Portrait of Sor Juana de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, 1797 The Met

Self-Portrait with Two Pupils, Marie Gabrielle Capet (1761–1818) and Marie Marguerite Carraux de Rosemond (1765–1788), Adélaïde Labille-Guiard, 1785, oil on canvas

Adélaïde Labille-Guiard Self-Portrait with Two Pupils, Marie Gabrielle Capet (1761–1818) and Marie Marguerite Carraux de Rosemond (1765–1788), 1785 The Met

Sarah Dupont, Thomas Gainsborough, c. 1777–79, oil on canvas

Thomas Gainsborough Sarah Dupont, c. 1777–79 Art Institute of Chicago

Portrait of Mary Wise, Thomas Gainsborough, c. 1774, oil on canvas

Thomas Gainsborough Portrait of Mary Wise, c. 1774 Cleveland Museum of Art

Rocky, Wooded Landscape with a Dell and Weir, Thomas Gainsborough, c. 1782–1783, oil on canvas

Thomas Gainsborough Rocky, Wooded Landscape with a Dell and Weir, c. 1782–1783 Cleveland Museum of Art

Charles Rousseau Burney (1747–1819), Thomas Gainsborough, ca. 1780, oil on canvas

Thomas Gainsborough Charles Rousseau Burney (1747–1819), ca. 1780 The Met

Queen Charlotte, Thomas Gainsborough, 1768, oil on canvas

Thomas Gainsborough Queen Charlotte, 1768 The Met

Lieutenant Colonel Paul Pechell (1724–1800), Thomas Gainsborough, 1768, oil on canvas

Thomas Gainsborough Lieutenant Colonel Paul Pechell (1724–1800), 1768 The Met

Portrait of a Young Woman, Called Miss Sparrow, Thomas Gainsborough, 1770s, oil on canvas

Thomas Gainsborough Portrait of a Young Woman, Called Miss Sparrow, 1770s The Met

Wooded Upland Landscape, Thomas Gainsborough, probably 1783, oil on canvas

Thomas Gainsborough Wooded Upland Landscape, probably 1783 The Met

The Grand Canal, Venice, Looking South toward the Rialto Bridge, Canaletto, 1730s, oil on canvas

Canaletto The Grand Canal, Venice, Looking South toward the Rialto Bridge, 1730s The Met

Campo Santa Maria Zobenigo, Venice, Canaletto, 1730s, oil on canvas

Canaletto Campo Santa Maria Zobenigo, Venice, 1730s The Met

The Grand Canal, Venice, Looking Southeast, with the Campo della Carità to the Right, Canaletto, 1730s, oil on canvas

Canaletto The Grand Canal, Venice, Looking Southeast, with the Campo della Carità to the Right, 1730s The Met

Campo Sant'Angelo, Venice, Canaletto, 1730s, oil on canvas

Canaletto Campo Sant'Angelo, Venice, 1730s The Met

A Lock, a Column, and a Church beside a Lagoon, Canaletto, 1743, oil on canvas

Canaletto A Lock, a Column, and a Church beside a Lagoon, 1743 The Met

Warwick Castle, Canaletto, 1748, oil on canvas

Canaletto Warwick Castle, 1748 The Met

This painting is a portrait of a woman, her torso facing slightly to the left, her face looking directly at us. The woman has fair skin, rosy cheeks, and red lips in a subtle smile.

Thomas Gainsborough Miss Catherine Tatton, 1786 National Gallery of Art

A pale-skinned woman is shown from the waist up within an oval opening in this vertical portrait painting. The woman’s body is angled to our right, but she turns her face to look off to our left with gray eyes.

Thomas Gainsborough Mrs. John Taylor, c. 1778 National Gallery of Art

A river winds through forest-green trees and vegetation between rolling hills and mountains extending into the deep distance under a pale, orchid-purple sky in this nearly square landscape painting.

Thomas Gainsborough Mountain Landscape with Bridge, c. 1783/1784 National Gallery of Art

Shown from the waist up, a young, pale-skinned woman with her gray hair piled high atop her head is lit starkly against a dark background in this vertical portrait painting. The woman’s shoulders are angled to our left.

Thomas Gainsborough Mrs. Paul Cobb Methuen, c. 1776/1777 National Gallery of Art

Shown from the hips up, an elegantly dressed woman with smooth, pale skin and ash-brown hair piled high on her head looks off into the distance to our left in front of a loosely painted landscape in this vertical portrait.

Thomas Gainsborough The Hon. Mrs. Thomas Graham, c. 1775/1777 National Gallery of Art

From a rocky shoreline, we look on several light-skinned people working by the sea with a boat and a net in this freely painted, almost square seascape.

Thomas Gainsborough Seashore with Fishermen, c. 1781/1782 National Gallery of Art

Imaginary View with a Tomb by the Lagoon, Canaletto, early 1740s, oil on canvas

Canaletto Imaginary View with a Tomb by the Lagoon, early 1740s The Met

Portrait of George Pitt, First Baron Rivers, Thomas Gainsborough, 1769, oil on canvas

Thomas Gainsborough Portrait of George Pitt, First Baron Rivers, 1769 Cleveland Museum of Art

Mrs. Grace Dalrymple Elliott (1754?–1823), Thomas Gainsborough, 1778, oil on canvas

Thomas Gainsborough Mrs. Grace Dalrymple Elliott (1754?–1823), 1778 The Met

A woman with pale, smooth skin stands wearing a loosely draped, champagne-peach dress in this vertical portrait painting. Her body faces us but she turns her head to look down and off to our right with brown eyes.

Thomas Gainsborough Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, 1783 National Gallery of Art

A pale-skinned woman wearing a long, rose-pink gown sits amid a lush landscape in this vertical portrait painting. The woman’s body is angled to our left, but she turns her head to look at us with green eyes under dark brows.

Thomas Gainsborough Mrs. Richard Brinsley Sheridan, 1785-1787 National Gallery of Art

We look slightly down across a sun-drenched plaza with people scattered among ruins, buildings, and around a free-standing column in this vertical landscape painting. The people we can see have light skin.

Canaletto English Landscape Capriccio with a Column, c. 1754 National Gallery of Art

Sun pours across a landscape with trees and plants growing around and on an arched stone ruin, a bridge and river, and, in the distance, buildings along a flat-topped hill carpeted with grass in this vertical painting.

Canaletto English Landscape Capriccio with a Palace, c. 1754 National Gallery of Art

Long scroll drawing, upper half is script; lower half depicts people in courtyard.

Ike Taiga Group Pilgrimage to the Jizo Nun, 1755/65 Art Institute of Chicago

A young, light-skinned, rosy-cheeked child stands against a landscape of trees and rolling hills in this vertical portrait painting. Some areas are loosely painted, especially in the background, giving the portrait a soft look.

Thomas Gainsborough Master John Heathcote, c. 1771/1772 National Gallery of Art

Mrs. Henry Hill (Anna Barrett), John Singleton Copley, c. 1765–70, pastel on paper mounted on linen

John Singleton Copley Mrs. Henry Hill (Anna Barrett), c. 1765–70 Art Institute of Chicago

View of Pirna with the Fortress of Sonnenstein, Bernardo Bellotto, c. 1760, oil on canvas

Bernardo Bellotto View of Pirna with the Fortress of Sonnenstein, c. 1760 Art Institute of Chicago

Joseph Gerrish, John Singleton Copley, 1770, oil on canvas

John Singleton Copley Joseph Gerrish, 1770 Art Institute of Chicago

Related styles

Rooms these paintings suit